James c



(No Model.) 8

J. C. COVERT & J. BILLINGHAM.

. MACHINE FOR WELDING CHAIN LINKS.

No. 377,193. Patented Jan. 31. 1888.

I V X Nirnn STATES l: ATEN JAMES C. COVERT AND JETHRO BILLINGHAM, OF VEST TROY, NE? YORK; SAID BILLINGHAM ASSIGNOR TO SAID COVERT.

MACHiNE FOR WELDING CHAIN LlNKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 377,193. dated January 31, 1888.

Application filed March 5, 1887. Serial No. 229,825.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, J AJIES G. COVERT and J ETHRO BILLINGHAM, citizens of the United States, residing at Nest Troy, in the county 5 of Albany and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Welding Chain Links, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying r drawings.

This invention relates to machines for welding chain-links in the manufacture ofthe same. The invention consists, first, of an anvil or suitable bed carrying a female die possessing r the peculiarities hereinafter appearing, and of a frame adjustably mounted with respect to the bed, and provided with a rock-shaft having bearings vertically and laterally adj ustable therein and carrying an arm and hammer, into the latter of which a male die is fitted, this die also possessing peculiarities hereinafter appearing.

Our invention consists, secondly,-ofa female die having a recess therein occupying approXimately one-half of a circle in length and semicircular in crosssection in the lower portion thereof, while from the termination of the semicircular portion its walls are inclined outwardly to present a flaring entrance and to go permit of the easy withdrawal of the link,

and also of a male die having a recess semicircular in length and less than a semicircle in cross-section, and fashioned on the exterior so as to enter without interference into the recess of the lower die, whereby less than half of the circumference of the link is acted upon by the upper die and onlyhalf of the circumference is acted upon by the lower die, whereby, also, the surplus metal is prevented from extending any appreciable distance from the surface of the link during the action of weld ing.

in the accompanying drawings, forming a partof this specification, and on which similar 5 letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding features, Figure 1 is a perspective view of our improved link-welding machine; Fig. 2, a vertical sectional view of the male and female dies detached; Fig. 3, a similar view representing the position of the link therein (No model.)

at the commencement of the second and final operation.

The letter A designates an anvil or bed of any approved form generally, and constructed to be secured to a suitable foundation and 5 made, preferably, of metal. From this anvil extends an arm, B, and to the arm is fitted slidingly a frame, 0, preferably made of castiron, having a set-screw, D, by which its po' sition on the arm is fixed. Any other means may be employed to secure the frame to the arm. This frame has two verticallyslotted standards, E, in which are slidingly fitted suitable metallic bearingblocks, F, enlarged at their inner ends, so as to fit against the in- 6 ner vertical faces of the standards which hold the blocks against the action of the bearingscrews G, which are screwed into the blocks.

To the upper and lower ends of the respective standards E are also fitted adjusting-screws H and I, provided with jam-nuts J and K, by which they are held in a set position. These screws engage the upper and lower sides of the respective; blocks F and serve to determine their altitude, so as to bring the faces of the male and female dies in alignment with each other irrespective of any loss of that alignment by reason of wearing due to use.

The letter L designates a cross-head or rockshaft, the ends of which are recessed to receive the bearing-screws G, on which the crosshead oscillates and by which it is set laterally, so as to bring the male die directly over the female die and secure it there. Jam-nuts M are also provided for the bearing-screws G.

The letter N refers to an arm extending from the cross-head L and normally supported by a spiral or other spring, 0, and carrying at its outer end a suitable head or hammer, P, to which is secured the male die Q, as by a set 0 screw, R, which engages with the shank of the die. Of course any other manner of securing the die in the hammer maybe employed, and, by preference, the upper end of the head is fashioned to receive the hand, by which it is 9 5 thrown violently down in the operation of welding.

\Ve will now refer to the dies.

The letter S designates the female die,which is mounted upon the anvil A, and secured in any desired manner, and consists, preferably, of a block of steel. It is provided with a recess, T, Whichextends through approximately half a circle, while in cross-section its lower portion is also semicircular. At a line about coincident with the axis of the recess, as seen at U in Fig. 2, the walls of the recess are flared or inclined slightly in opposite directions,

ignated by the letter Vaffords a sort of pocket,

the strain is otherwise than tract'ile, we pre-- into which the surplus metal bulges when the male die comes down upon the overlapping ends of the link. It should be noted that this pocket being narrow prevents this surplus metal from extending very far from the outer surface of the link and makes it possible for the female die to receive within its recess this bulged portion of the link on reversing the same in position, as seen in Fig. 3. The result of this is, that instead of forming fins upon the exterior of the links, as heretofore, and which fins during the second operation were removed and caused a loss in the strength and a reduction in the bulk of the link at the point where the wear principally occurs and where serve this surplus metal, and by the second operation force it into the body of the joint, and thus secure more metal and greater strength in the link at the point where most needed.

Referring now to the male die,,this consists of a short stout bar, Q, fashioned, as already suggested, to be readily connected with the.

head or hammer 1?. At its lower end it is provided with arecess about half a circlein length, substantially agreeing as it does in length with the recess in the female die, but of less than half a circle in cross-section. This is clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This construction also prevents the male die from extending down into the female die far enough to occupy the pockets V, into which the bulged metal extends. Again, the male die is recessed at X, leaving a semi-annular portion, Y, in which the recess is formed; This semi-annular portion is the portion which enters the recess in the female die.

Referring now to the'second operation and to Fig. 3 of the drawings, it will be observed that the link is fitted down into the female die only so far as the bulged metal will permit; yet the bulged metal is well down in the recess. Therefore, when the upper portion of the link receives a blow from the male die, the bulged metal, owing to the tapering contour of the die beneath the place occupied by the bulged portion,will be forced into the body of the link. Thus the ends of the link are welded, and all the metal containedin these ends before being welded is contained in the link after they are welded, and yet the contour of thelink is practically perfect.

7 It should be observed that before putting the links in the female die their ends are stuck by placing the link in a convenient position over the welding-point a of the anvil, and tapping the overlapping ends sufficiently to stick them together, as distinguished from properly welding them. The ends of the link are also made to overlap each other by placing the link on its edge and striking the outer surfaces with a hammer untilthey are brought properly across each other. Thisoperation ispreliminary to that of sticking the ends.

We have already alluded to the fact that as heretofore done fins have been formed during the first operation of welding, and removed by being sheared during a subsequent operation. It is also afact that it has been attempted in welding chains to bring the recess of the male die down to the recess of the female die in such a manner as not to leavea fin; but in such instance the practical difficulty is in preventing the metal of the link from spreading laterally and preventing the dies from coming welltogether. The result of this lateral spread is to form a link whose exterior is more or less rough. Y

Having thus fully described our invention,

what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a link-welding machine, the combination,with a base or-anvil,of a frame adjustably mounted with respect thereto, a cross-head mounted in said frame and provided with screws for vertically and laterally adjusting it, and an arm and die head or hammer carried by said cross-head.

2. In a link-welding machine, the combination,with an anvil or base having a die thereon,

of a frame adjustably mounted with respect thereto, a cross-head mounted in said frame, and screws for laterally and vertically adj usting it, an arm carried thereby and provided with a die-head and a die secured to the same, and a spring to lift the die-head.

3. In a link-welding machine, the combination,with an anvil or base having an arm extending therefrom, of a frame adj ustably fitted to said arm, blocks slidingly fitted to said frame, screws for adjusting the blocks up and down, and bearing-screws fitted to said blocks,'

a cross-head supported and, adjusted laterally thereby, an arm extending from said crosshead, and having a hammer or die head.

4. In a link-welding machine, the combination, with aframe and blocks slidingly mounted ,i' i

therein, of screws fitted to said frame above and below said blocks, to adjust them up and down and maintain them in a set position,and screws passing through said blocks, a crosshead carrying a hammer or die head and mounted upon the latter screws.

5. In a link-welding machine, the combination of a female and a male die, the female die consisting of a metallic block having a recess in the upper face thereof whose length is approximately semicircular, whose lower portion in cross-section is semicircular, whose sides from the termination of the said latter portion extend upwardly and outwardly, and a stud or projection extending from the said recess to said face, and the male die consisting of a metallic bar rounded in an annular direction on the rear side of the lower end and recessed in a vertical direction in the front side of said end,leaving a semi-annular portion adapted to enter the female die and stand between the rear side of and partly round the stud and the wall of the recess round it, and a concavity in the lower face of the said resulting" portion whose cross-section is less than a semicircle, 

